JUNEAU,
Alaska Tlingit speakers and educators are fighting to keep
that language alive. As those at Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI)
put it, creating new speakers will be key in accomplishing this.
In fact, the Native institute has just
introduced a new Tlingit language card program as part of this mission.
The program is a set of flash cards and
audio CDs to help gain efficiency in the alphabet. They use pictures
as well as an online interactive tool to help kids learn the Native
language.
Tlingit Curriculum Specialist Linda Belarde
said the tool is important because new speakers are needed for a
language to survive. As for Tlingit, she said there just aren't
that many birth speakers left.
"One of things I say to young people
is that with every obituary, there goes another Tlingit speaker,"
Belarde said.
Belarde said there's been a lot of interest
in the cards so far, mostly from language teachers. She said that
while the cards are designed for kids, they can be useful for older
language learners.
"Language carries the point of view
of a way of looking at the world so it's just really important that
we can keep Tlingit alive and Haida and Tsimshian," Belarde
said.
SHI President Rosita Worl also believes
the language must be kept alive as part of the culture. However,
while kids may learn the language, it may never again be used as
a first language.
"I don't know if we can ever completely
restore it but we will always hear the voices of our ancestors on
this land," said Worl. "It may never again be our first
language but we will always hear it."
She said this idea was even a theme at
a recent celebration.
Worl
said learning the language is critical and the children should learn
to read it and make the sounds. She said SHI has worked to raise
awareness of this and has language programs in 10 Southeast communities.
Worl said a big push in this idea came
around 12 years ago when SHI trustees met Hawaiians and learned
about their language restoration programs. She said some of those
trustees were even brought to tears at hearing those children speak
their native language.
She said that was the point when SHI decided
to make language revitalization its highest priority, shifting the
institute to go from preservation-only to action-oriented.
However, Worl said educators, families
and others must get involved to keep Tlingit going. SHI can help
provide the tools but can't save the language alone.
"Our philosophy is that you'll never
save the language and culture from 1 Sealaska Plaza. It has to be
community-based," she said.
She said the new card tool is a "little
milestone" toward this, but lots more are needed.
Belarde said there are a number of written
resources to help keep the language going, including books. She
said tools like the cards are helpful for reading these and to speak
it as well. She said learners have to know what the characters they're
reading sound like.
"A problem is we don't hear Tlingit
on TV or radio. Hearing it is often the first part of learning,"
she said.
She said the audio part is mostly done
in classroom settings today but that wasn't always the case. She
said KTOO even used to run "Tlingit hours."
The Tlingit alphabet itself is unique
with 50 characters to learn. Four of those sounds aren't found in
any other language.
Most of the English letters do have Tlingit
counterparts, but not all. Sounds for letters can differ too.
"The good news about the Tlingit
alphabet is it's consistent. Once you memorize a sound, every time
you see it written it's the same sound," Belarde said.
Sealaska
Heritage Institute
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is a regional Native nonprofit
organization founded for the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people
of Southeast Alaska. SHI was established in 1980 by Sealaska Corp.,
a for-profit company formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement
Act (ANCSA). SHI, formerly Sealaska Heritage Foundation, administers
Sealaska Corp.'s cultural and educational programs.
http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/
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